Kevin's story

Living in temporary accommodation Kevin didn’t feel able to cook well and he survived off fried eggs and microwave meals!

The challenges of cooking in emergency accommodation

For many people living in temporary accommodation, cooking healthy and tasty meals can be a real challenge due to the lack of cooking facilities and limited finances. We knew that for this to be a useful cookbook for people living in emergency accommodation - as well as those with their own homes - we needed to show that there are delicious things you can make with very limited cooking facilities and cheap ingredients.

Bourne to Cook tells the story of Kevin’s journey and his discovery of his love of cooking. Kevin was in full-time employment for 41 years until he suddenly found himself unemployed due to ill health. While living in temporary accommodation, Kevin didn’t feel able to cook well and he survived off fried eggs and microwave meals!

A cookbook for those on a tight budget

Through Justlife, Kevin got involved with a local project called Roots to Growth where he learnt all about growing your own vegetables, and learned how to incorporate them into delicious meals at Justlife's cooking classes. The cookbook has a variety of different meals all packed full of vegetables. Each recipe shows how much it costs per serving to help those on a tight budget. It also lists any equipment you might need to make each meal. Kevin’s hope is that people in temporary accommodation will enjoy the cookbook and be able to benefit from it.